The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch has some awesome features, but unfortunately, Samsung decided to limit its compatibility to only Galaxy devices. And not even all Galaxy devices, just a few with Android 4.3. Not only does this limit the amount of money Samsung can make from the watch, but it also keeps people from using what could be a good product just because they like other devices.

However, the developer community has done it again. Some folks have figured out how to get the Galaxy Gear mostly working with the Nexus 5, an AOSP device with absolutely no previous support for the watch. It’s a bit of a long process involving taking APKs out of a file and installing them all manually. But once everything is installed, the Galaxy Gear will work! Everything but S-Voice and Weather will function as it should.

Strangely, this method doesn’t seem to work on many devices, but it’s been proven to work with the Nexus 5. But don’t expect it to work forever, as any changes Samsung may make to the Gear Manager app may break this compatibility, whether it was intentional or not. So don’t go buying a Galaxy Gear to use with your Nexus 5, but if you happen to have a Nexus 5 alongside a Samsung device, this will be an awesome modification for you! Hit the source link to find the full instructions and give it a shot yourself.

Dima Aryeh is a Russian obsessed with all things tech. He does photography, is an avid phone modder (who uses an AT&T Galaxy Note II), a heavy gamer (both PC and 360), and an aspiring home mechanic. He is also an avid fan of music, especially power metal.

Wow…Now we can use Samsung Galaxy Gear with Google Nexus 5. The smartwatch is really a very cool gadget. I like this smartwatch very much and wanted to buy it. but earlier it was compatible with only galaxy 4 and note 3. After this update i want to purchase Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch asap.